The present invention relates generally to computer peripheral device drivers, and more particularly, to downloading device drivers over a network.
As more and more computers enter homes and offices, consumers are demanding that their computer systems operate in a xe2x80x9cuser-friendlyxe2x80x9d manner while performing more tasks at faster rates. In response to this demand, manufacturers are continuously increasing a computer""s capabilities and computing power. However, the complexity of the programs that operate the computer system has also increased, making many aspects of computer operation less than user-friendly. This includes programs that install and operate peripheral devices (xe2x80x9cdevicesxe2x80x9d).
In particular, there has been a great increase in the types and varieties of peripheral devices available to computer users, e.g., keyboards, disk drives, printers, video cameras, etc. When a new device is added to a computer system, a complimentary device driver (xe2x80x9cdriverxe2x80x9d) must exist in the computer""s memory. The driver, while executing, allows the device to operate with the computer and its operating system. If a device is not operable under an already existing driver, a new driver must be installed. Typically, a driver is supplied by the maker of the device on a computer-readable media, i.e., floppy disk or CD-ROM, and is installed in the computer system in accordance with a procedure established by a user interface and the operating system. Drivers can also be installed over the Internet.
Current installation procedures make it necessary for the user to perform many of these driver installation steps manually. For example, in the case of a floppy disk or CD-ROM, the user must manually insert the disk. Often, a user must then respond to a series of queries or prompts to install the driver onto the computer.
Installing a device driver from the Internet often requires a user to locate the particular site, determine what device driver is needed for the user""s particular computer system, and then download the driver. As a result, the installation and set-up of a new peripheral device can be extremely difficult for the novice computer user.
Also, the user must often access the computer in a privileged mode, i.e., root, superuser, administrator, etc., to install the device driver. This gives an enduser control of the computer""s operating system, as well as all of the hardware. With this control, the end-user can now bypass any security provisions, and potentially damage or corrupt the computer system.
Therefore, it is desired to provide a system and method for installing device drivers onto computers that require minimal or no user interaction.
The present invention provides for the automatic identification and installation of software device drivers over a computer network for the operation of computer hardware peripheral devices. A hardware peripheral device is connected to a destination computer. The peripheral device contains a network address, e.g., a Universal Resource Locator (URL). After the computer""s operating system recognizes the device, the destination computer reads the network address and directs the computer""s operating system towards a web site.
A source computer, storing an installation program and device drivers, is located at this site. A device driver is selected based on the information provided from the peripheral device, and installed in the memory of the destination computer.
In the alternative, an installation program is retrieved from the source computer. The installation program generates a configuration specification based on memory capacity and the type of operating system of the destination computer, as well as the type, make and model of the peripheral device. This information is used to select and retrieve the corresponding device driver file from the source computer for installation in the destination computer.